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above: the Title Page vignette depicting the stuffed animal character, Lady Pigsworth.
It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime! (fiction) written by Pamela Paul & illustrated by Steven Salerno
Released May 2025 by G.P. Putnam & Sons (imprint of Random House)
When Dad says it’s time for bed, this stubborn little girl is appalled! She’s just NOT quite ready to stop all her fun activities. So, the father cleverly engages help from his daughter’s favorite stuffie, the very British Lady Pigsworth, to assist in getting the girl ready for bedtime…
“Daddy says it’s time to go to sleep, but his daughter insists that she isn’t ready. Her stuffed animal, Lady Pigsworth, takes the lead, suggesting creative tactics to delay the inevitable… The basic plot is familiar enough, but it’s told with humor and sweetness, accompanied by Salerno’s retro-style illustrations, dominated by soothing nighttime hues of lavender and yellow. The text is entirely made up of dialogue, mostly between the father and Lady Pigsworth. The pig’s formal, British-inspired speech (“Tickety-boo, old chap”) makes for a fun read-aloud. The father and daughter model a strong, loving relationship as he joins her play wholeheartedly, giving her agency while also steadily guiding her toward bed.” -Kirkus Reviews
“Budding Anglophiles should be rather keen on this tale of a child whose bedtime avoidance is aided by Lady Pigsworth: a proper pink porcine stuffie sporting a Royal Ascot–worthy hat and a Union Jack handbag. Pretend play collides with domestic demands as the girl’s bedraggled father attempts to wrap up an evening’s events. In this extended bedtime romp, drawings by Salerno (On the Corner of Chocolate Avenue), rendered in deep shades of pink, purple, and blue, tell the story in bold strokes, while dialogue by Paul (Rectangle Time) crackles with British turns of phrase.” -Publishers Weekly
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above: the cover of, It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime!
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above: detail from the picture book’s end papers illustration, showing the moonlight, breezy curtains, and a bedside table with a lamp and clock.
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above: opening spread illustration of It Simply Can’t Be Bedtime! -depicting the bedroom scene with the girl absorbed in all her activities, when from the next room her Dad annoyingly shouts out that it’s now time for her to get ready for bed!
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above: detail from the illustration wherein the girl is defying her father’s request to get ready for bed…
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above: Dad cleverly gets the very British stuffed animal, Lady Pigsworth, to help him convince his daughter to end her activities and get ready for bed…
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above: detail from one of the illustrations, and Lady Pigsworth uses some unconventional tactics in getting the reluctant girl to agree to surrendering to bedtime!
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above: Detail of one of the closing illustrations -in the end, even Lady Pigsworth succumbs to sleepiness, too!